The Midwive’s Dilemma – Jim Scudder Jr.

Today’s Scripture: But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. Exodus 1:17

The Bible is clear. Obey those who have the rule over us. The government is God-ordained. We need to be law abiding citizens. The Bible is also clear, obey God. The problem: we can’t always obey both at the same time. That was the dilemma the midwives had when Pharaoh told them to kill the male, Hebrew children when they were born.

The midwives feared God and did what was right. They knew the risk when they disobeyed the most powerful man in the world, but they knew the power of Pharaoh was nothing compared to the power of God. The midwives obeyed God rather than man, and God blessed them greatly. God’s law supersedes man’s law.

When the government tells us to do something, it is usually our duty to obey, even if we disagree with the law. There are exceptions as Exodus 1 clearly shows. If the government tells a hospital they have to perform abortions, it is the hospital’s duty to obey God rather than man. If the government tells a school they have to teach something that is contrary to God’s Word, the school must continue to teach the truth. If the government tells a minister or a judge to perform a wedding that is anything except one man and one woman, as stated in God’s plan of marriage, then it is that person’s duty to follow God’s plan.

These are some situations where it would be disobedience to God to obey a government. Yes, we ought to obey the government whenever we can, but if that means disobeying God’s law, then we must obey the King of Kings.